Flexible Nico
by Clarakluk
Summary: Nico is training in the arena (and maybe showing off a little) when Percy comes in and makes some 'inappropriate' comments.


Flexible!Nico

Nico was training sword fighting against a skeleton warrior, he'd summoned, in the arena at Camp Half-Blood. Using skeletons, he could harm his opponent non-stop without thinking of their safety. And some of the skeletons were old warriors, trained in the army of great kings and emperors. This time he was fighting against a Greek soldier, who had fallen in the Trojan War. The warrior charged, and Nico sliced him in half.

Sometimes it was too easy. He called upon two more skeleton warriors and repaired the third on the floor. Others, who were training around him, glanced nervously at the now three skeletons with quite huge weapons, but they didn't worry Nico.

He swung his black sword at the head of the first, sank the sword in to the hilt in the chest of the second, and then used the sword hilt to hold on to, as he swing up and kicked the third in the rib cage, making it clatter all over the floor. He pulled his sword free and looked around on the growing crowd around him.

"What are you staring at?" he snarled, his sword in hand. Without looking, he swung it backwards, and heard the satisfying clonk of a cranium hitting the floor. The others around him quickly turned away.

Nico turned his attention back to the three skeletons. It was too easy with them. He needed a more skilled opponent. He closed his eyes and concentrated, summoning a dead demigod hero instead. No one really famous, just a random son of Ares, but it should make the fight harder to win.

Nico was right. As soon as all the bones of his new opponent were in place, he pulled out a huge ax and charged. Nico just barely managed not to be chopped in half. He swung his sword, but the skeleton just sidestepped out of reach. The skeleton swung his ax and Nico's sword flew out of his hand at the impact. Cursing he moved to get it, but his opponent had other plans.

He swung his weapon sideways, a strike that would have separated Nico's chest from his stomach, but Nico managed to bend backward in a perfect arch. The ax cut the fabric of Nico's t-shirt, but Nico himself wasn't harmed. He continued down, hands in the floor, and kicked up; the ax flying out of the skeleton's hand. No, wait. The hand went flying too, still attached to the sword.

The son of Ares seemed momentarily confused that he neither had his ax nor his hand. Nico flipped upright again, lunged out and sent his opponent's head flying too. The skeleton crumbled together on the floor in front of him.

"Wow," a guy said behind Nico. He turned to the boy, and wish he hadn't; it was Percy standing there and gaping at him. "I have the weirdest boner right now..." More guys nodded in agreement, and Nico was about to die of embarrassment. He could feel his cheeks warm up, and he was probably as red as a tomato. He turned and ran directly into a wall, trying to shadow travel, but the wall stayed solid, and Nico was knocked out.

When he came back to his senses, he was lying on the floor, his head in someone's lap, and a face in the middle of his blurry view.

"Hey," Percy's voice said and he smiled down. "Next time it would be easier to use the door. Walls aren't always reliable escaping routes."

Nico could feel his cheeks warm up, but he tried to stay cool, not thinking about that his head was cradled in Percy's lap, that the older boy's face had sings of worry in it. No, he did not think of any of that. Not at all.

Who was he fooling, of course that was what went through his mind on repeat. Nico bit his lip and sat up, but soon wished he hadn't. His head throbbed, and he felt extremely dazed.

"Whoa there," Percy said and grabbed him before he fell. "You should maybe on the infirmary. You might have a concussion. How fast was you running?" he asked chuckling.

Nico shrugged.

"You did a quite nice job with that skeleton," Percy told him. "How in Hades can you be that flexible?"

"Uh..." Nico said and looked around. They were alone in the arena.

"I told the others to leave as soon as we were sure you weren't extremely hurt. Thought you might not want too many watching," Percy said.

"Thanks," Nico muttered and looked down, his hands on the sides of his head, as if that could help his dizziness, which it of course didn't.

"Here, eat some of this," Percy said and handed him a small square of ambrosia. Nico took it gratefully and ate it. It tasted like blue chocolate birthday cake.

"Thanks again," he muttered, already feeling the dizziness fading. "That helped."

Percy grinned. "Yeah. I don't know how many times it has saved me."

"A lot," Nico said, cracking half a smile.

"But anyways, something about your hold on your sword bothered me. You should try to hold it more like this instead of this," Percy said, showing him with Riptide.

Soon Percy was teaching Nico in the art of sword fighting, and Nico was happy.


End file.
